Azerbaijani Presidential Administration: Economic and political regress of Armenian society embodies policy of ruling elite

The International Crisis Group's "Armenia-Azerbaijan: preventing war" report is rather capacious and balanced in some parts. It is devoted to the analysis of the situation in the region, which is the area of ethno-political disaster for many years, Elnur Aslanov, the Head of the Department of Political Analysis and Information Support of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, told Trend on Thursday.

He said that the International Crisis Group warned about possible escalation of the conflict in the region after 23 years of events that began in Armenia with persecution on ethnic grounds, further killings of Azerbaijanis in Armenia and Karabakh and on the eve of the anniversary of Khojali and Sumgait tragedies committed by the Armenians. "Naturally, any active and long confrontation between the parties, while we do not consider the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict as frozen, leads to discussing these possible scenarios," Aslanov said.

Of course, the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as one of the oldest and bloodiest ethnic conflicts in the former Soviet Union, requires the greatest and constant attention of international organizations, he said. "Constant attention of the International Crisis Group to the conflict once again stresses the high degree of risk of launching the hostilities, the need for its rapid settlement and finding the ways to establish peace and stability in the region. In its report, the Group noted an increase in tensions between the parties. It sounds the alarm over a possible conflict. However, first the international organization must be more concerned about the the lack of constructivism from the Armenian side in the negotiating process. The essence of the conflict has not changed during the years of confrontation. It is expressed in one point to stop the occupation of the historical lands of Azerbaijan by Armenia," Aslanov said.

He said that peace and stability in the region will be unattainable untill Azerbaijan's territory is released from the aggressor. "Therefore, I think that in its report, the International Crisis Group should have included the principles of international law, in particular the principle of territorial integrity and inviolability of state borders into the category of priority issues. It would be more productive if the report has touched on this part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, rather than simply state the issues well-known to both parties. The international organization, standing for peace in the region and trying to establish confidence, or to "understand and act to prevent and restrain conflicts" must not limit only by ascertaining the facts. This is not enough, " Aslanov underlined.

Aslanov said that it is rather important to call a spade a spade and force the aggressor to withdraw from the destructive policy and liberate the Azerbaijani lands. "Without the constructive approach of Armenia to the negotiating process and in general rational understanding of the situation in perspective, it will be difficult to speak about peace in the region. We have repeatedly witnessed that the Armenian leadership, both the previous and the present, refused at the very last moment from finding an acceptable way that would lead the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples to peace and stability. Azerbaijan is ready to ensure the safety of the Armenians of Karabakh within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, creating conditions for economic prosperity and cultural development under the international guarantees. However, the Armenian leadership sees the cause of its coming to power in the conflict. But settlement is fraught with the threat of its loss," he said.

He said that the report of the International Crisis Group in fact states that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions remains unchanged and the Armenian armed forces are in the territory of Azerbaijan. "The report clearly states the actions of the parties to the conflict - Armenia and Azerbaijan. It also points to the fact that Armenia must stop sending their soldiers of the regular army to serve in Nagorno-Karabakh. In such scenario, the need to increase the military budget of Azerbaijan up to more than $3 billion looks quite reasonable and fair. Azerbaijan will continue to think about an alternative to peaceful settlement of the conflict in the face of the continuing status quo. This is the natural right of Azerbaijan. Nobody is going to step down from this," he said.

The International Crisis Group's report also notes that the status quo is not convenient for Azerbaijan. It cannot last too long, he said. "In general, the report only reflects the facts occurring at the contact line, as well as in Armenia and Azerbaijan, in particular. In essence, the report said nothing new. It only reflected what the parties are always talking about. Today, the intensive economic growth of Azerbaijan promotes the growth of military spending and increasing the financial, military-technical and military spirit of an Azerbaijani soldier. Thus, the time is working for Azerbaijan now. While Azerbaijan is developing and strengthening from the economic point of view, Armenia becomes economically and politically disorganized every day," he said.

Aslanov said that the result of Azerbaijan's economic development allowed the country to increase military spending up to a level that exceeds the entire budget of Armenia that is drowning in debt. "Although it is clear that the economic future of the region would probably have other, much more positive prospects if the war had not been waged between the two countries. Today, Armenia is tied up its own irrational and destructive position. It deprives itself and its citizens of normal life. Thus, economic and political regress of the Armenian society embodied a policy of the ruling elite that refuses from making a peaceful solution to the conflict", he underlined.


/Trend/